Anthropic raises $3.5 billion, reaching $61.5 billion valuation as AI investment frenzy continues

Anthropic secured a $3.5 billion Series E funding round, valuing the AI company at $61.5 billion post-money, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. This investment will fuel Anthropic's development of next-generation AI systems, expand compute capacity, and accelerate international expansion.

Anthropic's valuation reflects its rapid commercial growth, with annualized revenue reaching $1 billion by December 2024, a tenfold increase year-over-year. The company, founded by former OpenAI researchers, differentiates itself with a focus on research and safety, particularly in enterprise applications of its Claude chatbot.

Investors are betting on the long-term potential of AI, despite current losses, viewing companies like Anthropic as transformative platforms. This funding highlights the intensifying AI race, with companies like SoftBank, OpenAI, and DeepSeek also making significant investments in the field.